Kindness

This week’s Mental Sunshine is all about kindness.

Next week (13th November) it’s World Kindness Day - so I thought now would be a good time to highlight the benefits of kindness.

If you’re thinking, But John, surely kindness only benefits the person you’re kind to… you are mistaken!

Yes, it’s true that if I do something kind for you, you will benefit from that in some way.

But so will I!

When you’re kind to someone it can actually help to lower your stress levels and bring you a sense of belonging and community.

If you do something kind for someone it can also improve your self-esteem. - because now you think of yourself as someone who does kind things for others.

By far the best part of doing something kind for someone is the thought that you might inspire them to go off and do something kind for someone else.

Your one small act of kindness could start a chain reaction that actually touches many people’s lives.

So why wait for next Wednesday?

Let’s start being kind today!

And every day onwards...

You could start by sending a text to someone, just to check in and see how they are.

If you’re bringing your bin in later, could you bring your neighbour’s in too?

Could you make space for a car entering your lane in traffic?

Buy a coffee for a homeless person?

All of these things can bring Mental Sunshine into your day -

And bring it to the people around you.

Let’s all spread some Mental Sunshine and kindness for World Kindness Day

And beyond...